Cantor Fitzgerald Europe SWIFT/BIC code

What CAFLGB21 means for a payment to Cantor Fitzgerald Europe

The short code CAFLGB21 and the full code CAFLGB21XXX identify one and the same institution: Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, with its head office in London. The code has a single purpose: it ensures that money from abroad ends up at the right bank. In practice you mostly see it on international invoices, in your banking app and on the account details of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe customers.

Below we go through the practical questions: receiving money at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, sending money abroad and how to check a SWIFT code before you confirm a payment. Remember that the BIC only identifies the bank, not the account: the IBAN or account number takes care of that.

Tracking a transfer to or from Cantor Fitzgerald Europe

A SWIFT payment usually needs anywhere from one to several business days. Weekends and public holidays in the sending or receiving country can add a day or more to the journey. Extra checks by one of the banks can also add some delay.

Many banks use SWIFT gpi. Each gpi transfer gets a unique transaction reference, the UETR that banks can use to trace it. Save the payment confirmation until the money has arrived – you will need it for any trace request.

If a payment has not arrived within the expected time, the person who paid needs to start with the bank that sent it rather than Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. Request from the sender a copy of the payment confirmation including the reference; that often settles the question quickly.

Where our SWIFT data comes from

The codes on this page come from publicly available data. Even so, banks merge or retire codes and our data may lag behind. The figures on this page are based on our own data and not on information from Cantor Fitzgerald Europe itself.

Before any payment of any size, confirm the BIC with the recipient’s bank or the recipient. We are an independent comparison service and not part of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. Should you notice something that is out of date, we welcome a message.

Which of the 7 codes of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe do you need?

Cantor Fitzgerald Europe has 7 different SWIFT/BIC codes. Only one is the head office code; the rest belong to branches or departments, and sometimes internal departments.

Unless the recipient tells you otherwise, go with CAFLGB21XXX or its short form CAFLGB21. Only use a branch code when the account holder explicitly asks for it, for example on an invoice or in their bank details.

The best way is to copy the code straight from the recipient’s invoice. Codes can change over time.

International transfers from Cantor Fitzgerald Europe: the real cost

If you send money to another country through Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, the visible fee is rarely all of what you pay. On top of a fixed fee, correspondent or intermediary banks can take a cut, and when the money changes currency, the bank usually applies a rate that is less favourable than the real market rate.

Most of the cost usually sits in the exchange rate, rather than in the fee: many banks convert using an exchange rate with a margin built in. A simple test: put the rate you get next to the mid-market rate and look at the difference.

For a lot of currency pairs, a transfer service turns out to be cheaper than a bank. Before your next transfer, it is worth comparing what arrives on GoldexPay instead of going straight to your bank. Choosing a specialist does not mean closing your account at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.

Why Cantor Fitzgerald Europe has an 8- and an 11-character code

A SWIFT code is made up of fixed blocks: the first four letters identify the bank, characters five and six show the country and characters seven and eight indicate the location. In this case, the 8-character core is CAFLGB21.

XXX at the end of CAFLGB21XXX does not stand for a placeholder or an error: it indicates the main office of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe. Certain payment forms insist on 11 characters, in which case you simply add XXX behind CAFLGB21.

In practice the code is written in capitals, without spaces or dashes. Watch for the letter O and the digit 0 and the letter I and the digit 1, a common source of typos.

Changed bank details? Be careful

One of the most common tricks goes like this: an email arrives with a message saying that a contact now has a new bank account and that the next payment should go there. The fact that CAFLGB21 exists does not mean that the account is legitimate.

Never trust contact details from the same email that announces the new account. Urgency and secrecy tend to be warning signs; a genuine business can wait for you to check. Already paid? Call your bank straight away and have them try to recall the payment; also report it to the police.

People receiving money are targeted too: a classic trick is an overpayment followed by a request to send back the difference to another account. A screenshot of a transfer is no proof.

Is CAFLGB21 still correct? How to check

The most reliable place for the correct BIC remains paperwork issued by the bank, such as a statement or the account details in online banking. When the code you were given differs from CAFLGB21 or CAFLGB21XXX, stop and ask – contact the recipient or Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.

An incorrect BIC may lead to delays, a payment being sent back or extra fees for investigation. An error in the IBAN or account number is a bigger problem.

Many banking apps check the format of IBANs and sometimes look up the BIC automatically. Some banks now compare the payee name against the account. When you pay someone new, some people send a small test amount and wait for confirmation.

What to give a sender who pays you at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe

Someone abroad who wants to pay you will ask for several details about your account. That means: your name exactly as it appears on the account, your IBAN or account number, the BIC CAFLGB21XXX and sometimes your address.

Some sending banks want the bank’s address; it does no harm to include it. Check each detail before you send them – a sender rarely spots a mistake in someone else’s details.

Expect that the incoming amount is below the amount on the sender’s receipt. Charges on incoming payments vary from bank to bank – the price list of Cantor Fitzgerald Europe tells you what applies. Make clear with the sender who covers the fees.

Paying Cantor Fitzgerald Europe in euros within SEPA

United Kingdom is part of the SEPA area. When you send euros within SEPA, you normally only need the IBAN; many banks no longer ask for the BIC.

Outside the euro and for senders outside SEPA, CAFLGB21XXX or CAFLGB21 is still part of the payment details. Some banks and apps also ask for the BIC; in that case, fill in CAFLGB21.

Euro payments within SEPA normally land by the next business day. Provided no currency is converted, a SEPA transfer tends to be cheap.

The British Pound and what conversion costs you

United Kingdom pays in the British Pound, with the currency code GBP. If you send money in a different currency, the amount has to be converted at some point. You rarely see a separate charge for that conversion.

Who does the conversion affects the final amount, as rates and margins differ per bank. In many cases you pay less if you send GBP directly through a provider that converts near the mid-market rate rather than letting the receiving bank convert.

Exchange rates move during the day, and some providers let you lock in a rate. With bigger transfers, even seemingly small gap in the rate can be worth more than the fee.